See what OUR Wolfpack had to say about THE Wolfpack!

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Limacher Low Down: Most of us, if not all of us, have at some point seen the Disney Classic Bambi; and with the recent re-release of the movie on Blu Ray I believe it has become a necessity to own it once again. The movie is a CLASSIC piece of American cinema, and remains a steady cultural reference to this day. But married with the technology we have today, somehow the magical folks at Disney managed to enhance perfection!  It is better than ever and with all the extra features Bambi Blu Ray Diamond Edition is MORE than worth the price-tag.

Bambi begins in the forest where there is a commotion afoot, the birth of the NEW “Prince” of the forest. Every animal in the forest flocks to see the Prince, and this is our first glimpse of Bambi. From his first steps, he is surrounded by all of the forest creatures, all enamored and enthusiastic at his arrival into the world.

There is something very human about the reaction the animals have, and the incredibly expressive animation does an excellent job capturing that “human” nuance. People can relate to their own family moments, Bambi is a story about the miracle of life, and is a very human experience as well.

Bambi quickly makes friends with a little rabbit, Thumper, who is precocious and adventurous. Thumper lives like there is no tomorrow and is willing to take the risks his siblings are not willing to take. Bambi quickly takes to Thumper and together they start a little adventure through the forest. Along their journey Bambi is taking everything in when he quite possibly “smells” a new acquaintance, Flower. Flower is a skunk mixed in with actual flowers.  Bambi mistakenly assumes that he is a flower too, and being a skunk “Flower” is not quick to correct the misnomer, so it sticks.  Because he is a skunk Flower is self-conscience and is happy to cover what may deter others from wanting to be his friend.

Bambi quickly learns the lay of the land from his mother, and gets the words of advice that will help him in the present and future as well. Bambi sees the majestic Bucks running free and is immediately intrigued. Bambi’s mother warns him of the hazards that are part of the forest, namely man. Bambi is out with his mother when they come across another Mother and fawn.

Bambi is immediately intimidated with the other fawn due to his natural shyness around “girls”, but he is thrust into an introduction with Faline. After a brief conversation, Bambi and mother run wild and care free in the open meadow, and Bambi can see the simple joys of being a deer.

Some time passes and it is now winter in the forest. Bambi is taking in all the different experiences, and in one of the most memorable scenes of the movie, Bambi learns what it is like to fall. Bambi attempts multiple times to get up, but never stops trying. This is such a good metaphor for everyone to never give up because eventually it will happen if you just keep moving.

Now spring rolls in, and Bambi starts off to see the changes this new season brings the forest. Bambi’s mother locates him, and as they are frolicking in the meadow, she notices that the Great Prince of the Forest (Bambi’s father) has detected a smell and a disturbance in the forest, again it is “Man”. Man is in the forest, an eternal phrase to us all.

Bambi and his mother are fleeing like all the other animals, and Bambi runs as fast as he can. He makes it to safety and in one of the most poignant scenes in cinematic history, Bambi’s mother does not return. This is something that had never happened in a Disney movie before, a character died. This was bold and risky but people often forget we never see her get shot, it was only implied which brings forth even more dramatic effect which is often overlooked. Bambi, now without his mother, has to learn and adapt on his own – just like that, his life is forever altered.

Some time passes; Bambi has aged a bit and has started to develop his horns. He quickly finds Thumper and Flower and as the three walk around the forest they notice something they never saw before, boy and girl animals in close proximity. The three friends quickly agree that they will never let a girl split them up from one another. Quicker than you can blink an eye that rule quickly fades into twittterpation.  One by one they each discover what the other animals had known as well, girls are good. Bambi sees Faline for the first time, and sees her as never before.  He is instantly attracted.

Bambi and Faline are walking together when a smaller buck, Ronno, challenges Bambi for Faline’s affections. Bambi is learning so much about the nature of being a deer in a limited amount of time, and without his mother to help educate him it is now up to him to do what is right. Once again, this movie depicts an all to human emotion, as Bambi learns that some things are worth standing up and fighting for in life.

Bambi and Faline are walking together when the two hear loud noises and run away, only to get separated. Faline looking for Bambi is in peril, and Bambi is seeking for Faline to see if she is alright. Bambi does what he can to protect Faline, and show her how much he cares and how he can protect her. A devastating, accidental fire was started by man while away hunting and Bambi and Faline run away to seek shelter from the flames. We later see the devastation that Man has caused to the forest, and see how their lives are forever changed.

And then, in another classic Disney moment, a new Prince is born, and the cycle of life continues – moving forward as Bambi and Faline create their own Prince.  In fact, all the mature friends have their own offspring, and we see here the resilience of nature vs. Man, yes, but nature writ large, that we all identify with as we care for our little princes and princesses – hoping to prepare them for the fires that will forever change their lives.  We all hope to do the best we can and to keep the cycle of love and the hearth warm, lest we forget that we will someday be gone, not returning from the meadow to see them through their life struggles.

AMAZING Blu Ray Extras:
Disney Second Screen: Watch the Blu Ray and access wireless to a laptop or iPad, you can access this special feature. This allows viewers to delve deeper into the world of Disney, the forest, the animators, the process, and even shows sketches and allows you to pause the movie and animate a scene yourself.

Inside Walt Disney’s Production Meetings: Did you know that Walt Disney had a person transcribe all of his production meetings for his movies? I didn’t know this, and with the Blu Ray Combo Pack you have the ability to watch the movie and hear reenactments of the meetings while the movie is playing. This allows the viewer a greater insight to the vision that Walt had envisioned for Bambi all along. This feature also allows the viewer to stop the movie and get more insight to certain details that are discussed in the meeting which adds greater depth to the story and gives the viewer a greater understanding of the movie as well.

Disney’s Big Book of Knowledge Game: This is an AWESOME feature for kids of all ages, and educates as well. Owl asks questions that are part of the movie and things in the forest, and correct answers result in “stickers” that can be placed in a special Sticker Album that each person can make their own. There are multiple levels and seasons to be explored, and the more seasons attempted the more stickers can be earned.

Deleted Scenes and Song: The Blu Ray also includes two never before seen deleted scenes which adds more content and story that we never knew about. There is also a deleted song which is something that fans of the movie will enjoy as well.

“Not with a wand, nor lightly!”

Swift shot:  This film resonated with me, on several levels.  It touches on themes not normally seen in your standard horror film, and I won’t give that element away here.  Suffice it to say, Insidious will force you to fight your urge to scream and will push the intellectual envelope even further.

Josh (Patrick Wilson: The Watchmen, Little Children) is a high-school teacher, his subject isn’t important, as it never comes to the surface.  He works hard to provide for his large family, while his wife Renai (Rose Byrne: 28 Weeks Later, The Dead Girl) stays home and deals with their new house and three children.  But almost immediately, things start to go bump, and their oldest son, Dalton (Ty Simpkins: Little Children, Pride and Glory) enters into a creepy upstairs room, exploring the new place, but something happens to him which plunges him into a bizarre coma.  The family is now draped in despair.

They try everything science can offer, but ultimately they can’t seem to break Dalton from his deep, dark slumber.  They even move from the new house to a smaller place, and it is implied this isn’t their first move.  Everywhere they move, the darkness comes with them.  If you pay attention, they keep bringing one item with them throughout their moves, is this what felled their son?

Finally, Josh’s mother, played by Barbara Hershey (The Last Temptation of Christ, Black Swan) decides to call in an unorthodox team of paranormal investigators, a woman named Elise (Lin Shaye: My Sister’s Keeper, Dead End) who has been a friend of hers for years.  Her team of scouts is hilarious, employing some old 80′s toys which have been modified to see the things few see, I won’t ruin that for you, but it should make anyone over 20 laugh out loud.  The scouts are characters themselves, you’ll like them, and I saw a few allusions to Poltergeist throughout their scenes, one scene with a steak made me smile as I got the inside joke, and you should too.

Insidious was a dark, chilling, vile, fresh, thought-provoking film.  I bet you google my tag line after seeing the film, but beware, the line contains a serious spoiler, it is a chapter from a book I own.  So research AFTER you see the film, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Patrick Wilson should be no stranger to anyone right now, he keeps popping up in some incredible films.  His roles aren’t always the most interesting characters, but he pulls his weight and carries others well.  I have yet to see him suck in anything, and Insidious is no exception.  A few times you will find yourself hating his character, so, as always, if an actor can elicit any pure emotion out of you, that is all we ever really need.  Wilson seems to become his characters fluidly.

Rose Byrne was decent, she had a few strong scenes, but nothing like the mom from the original Poltergeist, that film will always have the most powerful mom figure in a horror flick, period.  Barbara Hershey nailed her very small role in this film, coming off her Black Swan performance as the critically domineering mother, she shifts her soul, ever so slightly, to portray a truly caring and understanding mother – even embracing her daughter-in-law with the same affection.

But, the show stealer of this film has to be the infamous indie film actress Lin Shaye, she caught my eye with her character in Dead End, years ago, and anytime I see her now, quite frankly I get excited.  She is almost a character actor, because I have yet (personally) to see her in anything straight.  She always plays a character who has intense, border-line insane scenes . . .  she does the same thing in Insidious.

The music was a throw-back to the Hitchcock films with a modern digital pulse spiraling up your spinal cord like a dark, twisted snake. One recurring theme for the vile “fire faced” entity is Tiny Tim’s innocuous “Tip-Toe Through the Tulips With Me” which I used to think was just a cray song, but now, the way director James Wan employs it, let’s just say, Madison Monroe never wants to hear that song, ever again!

The special effects were imaginative and frighteningly playful, and using a few simple, yet effective surreal effects that will definitely give your mind’s eye something to focus on clearing out before you get much sleep.  Everything in the dark might annoy some, but it really touches on our earliest, instinctual fears of the unknown, cloaking the scarier scenes with the dark was called for and employed well.  The use of the white-clad techies to add a very brief bit of character acting comedy was a nice touch, and it allows you a little time to breathe.

We needed a classic, simple, scary horror film.  Combining the creators of Saw and Paranormal Activity was like intellectual incest, where the offspring is your god-child of horror!

I won’t spoil anything, but, man, this film is gonna have you talking, and researching, and wondering – what are the limits of the human being.

Here is the only problem with Insidious, it is rated PG-13, so the tweeny boppers WILL be in your theater, thing is, they don’t care about the film, because they aren’t paying for it – their irresponsible parents are.  So, for the majority of the film, kids were getting up, leaving, coming back, using cells, the whole list of annoying things I hate, which you can find out by simply searching for “Movie Ushers” in our search box.

So, to that end, here is what I advise, wait til this sucker is about to leave theaters, then go the last week, go when the kids are asleep.  But, this is one that might even be better to see at home on Blu Ray for the first time, you know, LATE, in the DARK, when your MIND is vibrating with that ethereal, creative energy that permeates the air, where all things seem possible, where emotions run through the atmosphere like a sieve.  See this one where you have the best chance to not be disturbed at all, and I think you will be pleasantly disturbed.

“It’s all uphill from here.”

+++Head shots, here+++

Swift shot: Planes?  Check.  Trains?  Sorta (one shot), so Check.  Automobiles?  Plenty of ‘em.  But while this may seem like a typical road-trip flick, it pits two of the most sought after actors in Hollyweird today.  They both play off of each other very well, and the dramatic scenes are genuine.  Oh, sure, you could dissect this film shot by shot and over analyze it with a minutia of detailed, nuanced clap-trap psycho-babble bullshit, but you should just sit your ass down and laugh!  Because “The Hangover” was incredible, (read ck’s review here) it set the bar for Iron-Man and the Ri-tard’s first film higher than John Belushi’s epic blowout final curtain-call.  If this one doesn’t make you near piss yourself, let me know here: swift@iratefilms.com, cuz I am adding you to my list of arrogant, pompous a-holes.

In homage to ck being no more, allow me to use his format for this review.

The Storyline

Peter Highman (yes, they went there) played by Robert Downey Jr. is heading home to L.A. from a business meeting in Atlanta.  About to be a father, he is leaving nothing to chance to get home.  Peter is one of those execs who plans for everything, but no plan can survive Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) and his walking Pig Pen chaos cloud, with his coiffed perm, acid washed, over-tight jeans (complete with a brush in the back pocket) and special friend, Sonny.

Immediately, Highman detests and attempts to avoid the walking freak show, but within minutes of crossing his path, Highman is kicked off a plane and is on the no-fly list.  Now, desperate to get home, and with no money (because the airline sent his luggage without him) he turns to the only person that seems able to help.  Offering to share a ride to Hollywood, Tremblay swoops in with a Subaru Impreza.

The story takes the characters on an Odessy to get to L.A. in time for the due date, as Highman’s wife, Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) is scheduled to have a c-section.  I won’t go into great detail here about all the crazy shit that happens to them, but suffice it to say, poor choices by Tremblay, and his little dog too, keep the journey entertaining from beginning to end.

The Cast

The casting is everything in this film, if the leads push too hard, it is painful, but the give and take of these superb thespians is fascinating to watch.  Plus, they take inside jabs at their profession throughout – which I loved.  No one needs a special introduction to Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, they are both masters of their craft with decades of experience between them.  Their two characters, Peter and Ethan are complete opposites, Peter is a by-the-book architect who deals in fact and has little time for make-believe.  While Ethan Chase . . . I mean Tremblay, literally takes life one hit at a time – a pot induced decision maker at every stop, he has two simple goals, get to Hollywood, become famous and lay his father’s ashes to rest.

Sanity enters the picture when Peter reaches out to his old college buddy, Darryl (Jamie Foxx) to save him from Ethan and help him get to L.A. in time.  Foxx does an admirable job in his (Just Passing Through) JPT role in the film, and Monaghan is really an after-thought.  This is a dick flick though, so her character’s absence should serve as no surprise.  The real female surprise is Juliette Lewis, who is back to form with Downey Jr. as a pot dealing, trashy mom of two stuffed in a two bedroom shack in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Good, Bad, and Indifferent

What makes this film so fantastic is the chemistry of Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis and the comedic timing and push and shove throughout.  As roles change from the serious to the buffoon and the vice-versa, we really get a treat watching their a-games on the screen.  There are brilliantly delivered lines which will, no doubt, be quoted ad nauseum by college students and movie geeks like me, probably for decades.  There are shocking things that happen throughout, and the previews don’t give away all the laughs – thank God.

Why six stars?  Because I want to watch this film six times, haven’t felt like that since I saw Kick Ass – which got six stars – plus, because it was so damned funny and enjoyable, it is worth every Penny!

The Bottom Line

Simple plots often make for the best films when the actors are perfect together, Due Date embodies this truth – go see it!!!

Ever wanted to be a superhero?
“You just have to be over optimistic and incredibly naive”

*** click the image for a surprise! ***

Swift shot:  Haven’t had this much fun with my pants on or sober in years!  This movie was the exact opposite of Crazy Heart – if you know anything about me, you know how much I HATED that diarrhea for the mind.  So, Rick, I guess that would make Kick Ass like some kind of anal plug for the mind?  I don’t know, I don’t care – the film was just a blast.  I would recommend it to anyone looking for a break from the typical Hollyweird comic caper rolling out these days.  Even the soundtrack made me wet myself a few times; I clapped like a kid who got the Millenium Falcon for Christmas – yea, it was that good!!!

What can I say about a film that not only doesn’t get all pompous with itself, but manages to be brutally emotional and real while at the same time coming off as hokey.  Since the hokiness was designed, it doesn’t seem to offend your delicate foo foo senses.  At one point Kick Ass manages a dramatic aside and asks would-be critics, “What, like you haven’t seen American Beauty?”  I love those little smacks to the would-be uber-critics who can’t help but shit on something because it doesn’t fit into a nice little homogenized package like Crazy Heart – which again, SUCKED!  (New York Times, I am zeroing in on you from here on out!)

Shit gets real pretty quickly in Kick Ass, set in the “real world” of New York, USA – the film answers a question I asked my dad when I was a kid – ‘Dad, why aren’t there any superheroes in real life?’  ‘Well, son of mine, because then you would have super villains.’  But creator Mark Millar shoves a big balisong knife into that theory – there already are super villains.  It is about time the old adage of evil can only exist if good men do nothing coming to fruition.  Of course in Kick Ass the term “good” is a little subjective.  Still, the Marine in me didn’t lose any sleep watching some of the lessor goons hacked to shredded wheat.  Fuck ‘em!

I read a few of the comics, I got as far as when Big Daddy was introduced and stopped reading – mostly because I wanted to see the film first, not the other way around.  In this case, the film serves as a nice companion piece to the Kick Ass phenomena that took the comic book world by force.

What makes this film not suck like Crazy Heart?

Well, in short, the lifting of the veil of Hollywood bullshit – American plastic coated crap we feed our kids about good always triumphing over evil and bad guys coming with theme music.  Sometimes the most vile enemies come out of nowhere – sometimes they come out of ourselves.   Essentially, much like Indiana Jones, and John McClane (you better know who that is), characters in Kick Ass FEEL everything, and at times the audience feels the harshness of the “real world” too.

In Kick Ass, the bad guys are vicious and real – they aren’t playing games.  If you have shit they want, they take it, period.  If you get in the way, you are going to pay, period.  But, Kick Ass isn’t alone in his quest for right and justice, kinda.  While he wanted to be a superhero to save people, his companions in justice deal out their “good deeds” through vengeance soaked blades and bullets.  But, when justice is simply about vengeance, sacrifice is usually the order of the day.  Director Matthew Vaughn delivers this message quite effectively!

The characters might not have felt completely “real-life” enough, but they were believable when it counted.  Dave, Kick Ass, Leziwski (Aaron Johnson) is a geek through and through, a non-entity at school, not even the funniest one of his friends – he kinda just exists.  He plays that part well as Dave, and when he finally decides to shell out a hundred bucks on a scuba suit and become Kick Ass, as he explains it, like most serial killers will tell you, you can only survive on fantasy for so long . . . eventually you have to get real.

And, real it gets, due to his first encounter being a “superhero”, he winds up learning a valuable lesson, crime pays and heroics get you fucked up – still, his next adventure is a more realistic goal -  to find a lost cat.  Destiny has decided his little superhero stunt should lead to bigger, badder things; however, and he grows as a character and as a hero throughout the film.  His one-dimension tone quickly erodes as he is challenged in every conceivable fashion.

Next on the line-up of do-gooders is Big Daddy (Cage) and his daughter, Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz).  Big Daddy is driven by vengeance for the destruction of his life at the hands of the brutal crime-lord Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), going so far as to turn that vengeance into a made-up fantasy world for his young daughter – this didn’t buy him parent of the year points in my book, and it’s why I say he was “good” only in the sense that he is trying to rid the world of slime.  Still, let your kid be a kid, man.

Cage plays three characters in this film, Big Daddy, Damon Macready, and  some kind of fantasy-based visage of a comic-book dad so his daughter can more readily accept her persona as his tool for vengeance.  Yes, some critics harped on Cage’s homage to Adam West while carrying out the Big Daddy scenes, but, really, I thought it was no less distracting when Bale scratched and hacked with his voice to sound all gruff and scary (even when he was alone with Morgan Freeman – yea, that bugged the shit out of me).  But remember, uber-critics, Big Daddy was a role for the benefit of his young daughter; it gave her little mind an air of make-believe in a harsh universe.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays the newest member of the team, Red Mist, who has all the most expensive toys and a sharp mind, but is his heart really in the game?  Mintz-Plasse (what kind of dude hyphenates his name anyway?) takes a bold chance with this film, he aint exactly McLovin’ but that is all I am gonna say about that.  Well acted considering he was really coming out of his comfort zone of geek-based tomfoolery comedies like Superbad.

This film will not be for everyone.  I heard some dumbass where I work in “real life” let their five year old watch this film!  Talk about poor parenting choices, even Big Daddy might have some words with those dolts.  The theme is set-up as light-hearted and fun in the previews, but while it was fun to watch, it is a dark movie – be forewarned.  People seeking some kind of serious script because it is “real life” need to realize that sometimes even real life can have moments of pure insanity.  The only moments of suspension of disbelief for me was how well Big Daddy and Hit Girl seemed to live in almost a vacuum and believing a little girl could be so damned lethal and efficient wielding so many weapons – still, the film tried to explain that too – but, man, she was the REAL KICK ASS!

I wonder if this film will actually inspire others to don masks and leather to fight crime?  I am all for it, because there is super evil in the world, dad, why can’t we see some super good?  Now, how many people want to kick some ass!?!?

“Which path will you choose?”

J. J. Abrams brings his unique writing to a classic franchise.  With Star Trek, he takes by far the most influential sci-fi series of all time and dons a Jedi cloak to reinvent the franchise with more grit, grime, and guts than the classic fare.

Always with my friends was the question, which is better Star Trek or Star Wars, as Abrams claims he was never into Star Trek, I was expecting a darker, more one-dimensional Star Trek – and that is what I got.  Even the music had dynamic horns and choir voices reminiscent of John Williams, except for a few scenes.  Overall this will not have the same feel as any of the other movies, with the exception of the brutal Wrath of Khan – which we all know was the best of the Star Trek films – until now.  Yes, I just said that, deal with it!

I keep hearing, this isn’t your father’s Star Trek, no, it isn’t – this is my son’s Star Trek, and you know what – I am glad.  I can keep my dad’s Star Trek on the shelf and dust it off and wax nostalgic over days gone by, or I can engage to full warp and embrace this bold new interpretation on the classic.  No reason they can’t coexist.

(more…)

“A life lived in fear is a life half lived.”

Powerful and dramatic period piece set on the precipice of Australia’s entry into World War II.  This film has everything you need in an Oscar contender: epic; breath-taking; and awe-inspiring.  These are words typically used as razor-sharp barbs to tear apart modern fluff and meaningless drivel pieces by modern critics, but Australia tells the story of an amazing young man and his struggles to survive in a hostile environment with chaos surrounding him and death as his mother – it deserves these labels.  

Perhaps the only negative criticism I could saddle on Australia is it is too dynamic with so many passionate characters and wonderful acting, that some critics feel the need to tear it down for its audacity to be bold. Also, it is an Australian film, directed by Baz Luhrman, with the quirkiness of Australian directing that some Hollywood elites find boorish and eccentric.  For example, scenes with people running up to a truck in the middle of nowhere and kangaroos hopping about this way and that, only to be served as dinner in the next scene will no doubt remind some viewers of ol’ Mick Dundee.  But, if you look past the odd and glib, you will find yourself transported to an amazing adventure where courage and character count above all else.  These are themes that demand introspection and cross international lines of film snobbery.

Young Nullah (Brandon Walters) is the narrator of the story, and in the first measure, his voice echoes an almost trivial resonance as he begins to tell his “story”.  You might find yourself disappointed, but the intent is to deliver the narration in a matter-of-fact fashion as a child might – a child who doesn’t understand the ways of others, who drown their stories with deceit and dishonor.

Nullah’s world is changed dramatically by foreigner Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) who arrives in pre-war Darwin, Australia with an agenda to expose her husband whom she suspects is philandering in a far-off land.  There are moments of that ever-so-subtle Australian brand of humor as she arrives in Darwin and meets her charioteer, The Drover (Hugh Jackman) who is hired to drive her to her husband’s vast Faraway Downs cattle ranch.  

She quickly finds out her husband has sacrificed everything for his ranch, the vast Faraway Downs . . . while remaining the hold-out competition to ruthless cattle-baron, King Carney (Bryan Brown).  Things quickly fall apart and she has to make bold choices regardless of the consequences facing her in a hostile, foreign land.  She is determined to bring Faraway Downs back from squalor while giving King Carney a run for his money.  She grows as a woman and a patriot to a land she probably only ever held contempt for as a large island in the Pacific housing her husband’s salacious sins.

Australia will have you rooting for the little guy, quite literally, throughout the film. And the acting was spectacular by all cast members, the stand-out exceptional actor would have to be relatively unknown David Wenham as Neil Fletcher, who managed to bare his mulga fangs ever so slightly when necessary to slither his character through his “story”.

Australia is a story about a young man’s journey to discover himself and a young nation’s journey to endure a terrible war and the shame it bears for hiding the Stolen Generation of half-blood aborigine children throughout the great war in the Pacific.  It is also a film about compassion and the power of magic, where love and song are the most powerful ingredients to survive the fogs of war.  

There are a great many artistic nods to Victor Fleming’s 1939 masterpiece Gone With the Wind, and the not so subtle allusion to one of his other great works, the Wizard of Oz – which also tells the story of a young character who faces enormous challenges to find her way home, as Nullah must do as he searches for his own home.

This was an exceptional film, with so many outstanding scenes, so much passion and powerful evidence of love and honor, passing this one over for an Oscar would be a tragedy of the highest degree.